Students
enrolled in public schools are in the midst of their WASL testing -- a
standardized measurement of student learning.

While 60 protesters marched on the state Capitol early last week,
they are a minority. Most parents see increased academic expectations as a good
thing for their children. The fact is that this state can no longer afford to
graduate students from high school who cannot balance
a checkbook, write with clarity or think critically.

The
goal of the Washington Assessment of Student Learning is to set high academic
standards and measure student progress toward those standards. The test isn't
perfect and merits further revisions because this is a high-stakes proposition.
Seniors who do not pass the WASL in 2008 will not receive a high school
diploma.

What's
encouraging is the effort of school districts around the state to help every
student achieve WASL success. TumwaterSchool
District, for example, is starting a summer
program for high school freshmen who did not pass all or part of the
seventh-grade WASL exam. Students can enroll in the monthlong
class for a mere $10.

Parents
and students should take advantage of this and every opportunity to succeed.

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The editors of the Olympian have
falsely represented the position of Mothers Against
WASL.Our members believe strongly in
high expectations and quality public education for all students.This is the reason we oppose WASL as a
high-stakes test and the driver of school policy and curriculum.

Mothers Against
WASL is not alone!The Washington State
School Directors Association, the Washington Education Association, the
National PTA, the American Educational Research Association, the American
Association of School Administrators and others share our position. Their
stand and ours:One test should never be
used to determine the future or placement of a child, the funding of a school
or the quality of teaching.WASL is
slated to determine all of these things.

It is time for lawmakers to ask
why, after twelve years of very expensive school reform, fewer graduates are
able to balance a checkbook or succeed at college level math.We believe the answer lies in the lack of foundational
skills being taught, as teachers have been forced to conform to WASL standards.

WASL was never intended to be
the driver of reform.It was intended to
be a part of an assessment package. Lawmakers and editorial boards
need to think critically about WASL and school reform rather than
simply swallowing and regurgitating the propaganda of the state
superintendent and the Washington Roundtable. When this happens, it will
no longer be necessary for Mothers Against WASL to
march on the capitol.